Python in a Nutshell

Larger Cover

By Alex Martelli

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Released: March 2003

Pages: 656

Ask any Python aficionado and you'll hear that Python programmers have it all: an elegant language that offers object-oriented programming support, a readable, maintainable syntax, integration with C components, and an enormous collection of precoded standard library and extension modules. Moreover, Python is easy to learn but powerful enough to take on the most ambitious programming challenges. But what Python programmers have lacked is one concise and clear reference resource, with the appropriate measure of guidance in how best to use Python's great power. Now Python in a Nutshell fills this need.

In the tradition of O'Reilly's "In a Nutshell" series, this book offers Python programmers one place to look when they need help remembering or deciphering the syntax of this open source language and its many modules. This comprehensive reference guide makes it easy to look up all the most frequently needed information--not just about the Python language itself, but also the most frequently used parts of the standard library and the most important third-party extensions.

Python in a Nutshell focuses on Python 2.2 (and all its point releases), currently the most stable and widespread Python release. This book includes:

A fast-paced tutorial on the syntax of the Python language itself
An explanation of object-oriented programming in Python, covering both the classic and new-style object models
Coverage of other core topics, including exceptions, modules, strings, and regular expressions
A quick reference for Python's built-in types and functions, as well as the key modules in the Python standard library, including sys, os, time, thread, math, and socket, among many others
Reference material on important third-party extensions, such as Numeric and Tkinter
Information about extending Python and embedding it into other applications

Python in a Nutshell provides a solid, no-nonsense quick reference to information that programmers rely on the most. This latest addition to the best-selling "In a Nutshell" series will immediately earn its place in any Python programmer's library.

Getting Started with Python
1. Chapter 1 Introduction to Python
  1. The Python Language
  2. The Python Standard Library and Extension Modules
  3. Python Implementations
  4. Python Development and Versions
  5. Python Resources
2. Chapter 2 Installation
  1. Installing Python from Source Code
  2. Installing Python from Binaries
  3. Installing Jython
3. Chapter 3 The Python Interpreter
  1. The python Program
  2. Python Development Environments
  3. Running Python Programs
  4. The Jython Interpreter
Core Python Language and Built-ins
1. Chapter 4 The Python Language
  1. Lexical Structure
  2. Data Types
  3. Variables and Other References
  4. Expressions and Operators
  5. Numeric Operations
  6. Sequence Operations
  7. Dictionary Operations
  8. The print Statement
  9. Control Flow Statements
  10. Functions
2. Chapter 5 Object-Oriented Python
  1. Classic Classes and Instances
  2. New-Style Classes and Instances
  3. Special Methods
  4. Metaclasses
3. Chapter 6 Exceptions
  1. The try Statement
  2. Exception Propagation
  3. The raise Statement
  4. Exception Objects
  5. Custom Exception Classes
  6. Error-Checking Strategies
4. Chapter 7 Modules
  1. Module Objects
  2. Module Loading
  3. Packages
  4. The Distribution Utilities (distutils)
5. Chapter 8 Core Built-ins
  1. Built-in Types
  2. Built-in Functions
  3. The sys Module
  4. The getopt Module
  5. The copy Module
  6. The bisect Module
  7. The UserList, UserDict, and UserString Modules
6. Chapter 9 Strings and Regular Expressions
  1. Methods of String Objects
  2. The string Module
  3. String Formatting
  4. The pprint Module
  5. The repr Module
  6. Unicode
  7. Regular Expressions and the re Module
Python Library and Extension Modules
1. Chapter 10 File and Text Operations
  1. The os Module
  2. Filesystem Operations
  3. File Objects
  4. Auxiliary Modules for File I/O
  5. The StringIO and cStringIO Modules
  6. Compressed Files
  7. Text Input and Output
  8. Richer-Text I/O
  9. Interactive Command Sessions
  10. Internationalization
2. Chapter 11 Persistence and Databases
  1. Serialization
  2. DBM Modules
  3. The Berkeley DB Module
  4. The Python Database API (DBAPI) 2.0
3. Chapter 12 Time Operations
  1. The time Module
  2. The sched Module
  3. The calendar Module
  4. The mx.DateTime Module
4. Chapter 13 Controlling Execution
  1. Dynamic Execution and the exec Statement
  2. Restricted Execution
  3. Internal Types
  4. Garbage Collection
  5. Termination Functions
  6. Site and User Customization
5. Chapter 14 Threads and Processes
  1. Threads in Python
  2. The thread Module
  3. The Queue Module
  4. The threading Module
  5. Threaded Program Architecture
  6. Process Environment
  7. Running Other Programs
  8. The mmap Module
6. Chapter 15 Numeric Processing
  1. The math and cmath Modules
  2. The operator Module
  3. The random Module
  4. The array Module
  5. The Numeric Package
  6. Array Objects
  7. Universal Functions (ufuncs)
  8. Optional Numeric Modules
7. Chapter 16 Tkinter GUIs
  1. Tkinter Fundamentals
  2. Widget Fundamentals
  3. Commonly Used Simple Widgets
  4. Container Widgets
  5. Menus
  6. The Text Widget
  7. The Canvas Widget
  8. Geometry Management
  9. Tkinter Events
8. Chapter 17 Testing, Debugging, and Optimizing
  1. Testing
  2. Debugging
  3. The warnings Module
  4. Optimization
Network and Web Programming
1. Chapter 18 Client-Side Network Protocol Modules
  1. URL Access
  2. Email Protocols
  3. The HTTP and FTP Protocols
  4. Network News
  5. Telnet
  6. Distributed Computing
2. Chapter 19 Sockets and Server-Side Network Protocol Modules
  1. The socket Module
  2. The SocketServer Module
  3. Event-Driven Socket Programs
3. Chapter 20 CGI Scripting and Alternatives
  1. CGI in Python
  2. Cookies
  3. Other Server-Side Approaches
4. Chapter 21 MIME and Network Encodings
  1. Encoding Binary Data as Text
  2. MIME and Email Format Handling
5. Chapter 22 Structured Text: HTML
  1. The sgmllib Module
  2. The htmllib Module
  3. The HTMLParser Module
  4. Generating HTML
6. Chapter 23 Structured Text: XML
  1. An Overview of XML Parsing
  2. Parsing XML with SAX
  3. Parsing XML with DOM
  4. Changing and Generating XML
Extending and Embedding
1. Chapter 24 Extending and Embedding Classic Python
  1. Extending Python with Python’s C API
  2. Extending Python Without Python’s C API
  3. Embedding Python
2. Chapter 25 Extending and Embedding Jython
  1. Importing Java Packages in Jython
  2. Embedding Jython in Java
  3. Compiling Python into Java
3. Chapter 26 Distributing Extensions and Programs
  1. Python’s distutils
  2. The py2exe Tool
  3. The Installer Tool

Colophon

Title:

Python in a Nutshell

By:

Alex Martelli

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print:

March 2003

Pages:

656

Print ISBN:

978-0-596-00188-9

| ISBN 10:

0-596-00188-6

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Python in a Nutshell is an African rock python, one of approximately 18 species of python. Pythons are nonvenomous constrictor snakes that live in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and some Pacific Islands. Pythons live mainly on the ground, but they are also excellent swimmers and climbers. Both male and female pythons retain vestiges of their ancestral hind legs. The male python uses these vestiges, or spurs, when courting a female.

The python kills its prey by suffocation. While the snake's sharp teeth grip and hold the prey in place, the python's long body coils around its victim's chest, constricting tighter each time it breathes out. They feed primarily on mammals and birds. Python attacks on humans are extremely rare. Emily Quill was the production editor and copyeditor for Python in a Nutshell. Linley Dolby and Tatiana Apandi Diaz provided quality control. Philip Dangler, Judy Hoer, and Genevieve d'Entremont provided production assistance. Nancy Crumpton wrote the index.

Emma Colby designed the cover ofthis book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Bret Kerr designed the interior layout, based on a series design by David Futato. This book was converted by Mike Sierra to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. This colophon was written by Nicole Arigo.

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oreilly Python in a Nutshell

3.7

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Displaying reviews 1-7

3/31/2010

(0 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

was the best but now outdated

By jon

from israel

About Me Designer

Pros

Concise
Easy to understand
Helpful examples
Well-written

Cons

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Comments about oreilly Python in a Nutshell:

this book dives right into business, no "hello world" muck, but i wish there was a python 3 version

9/15/2005

5.0

The best book for

By Humle

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Python in a Nutshell:

I've read around 15 books on Python by now, and this is definitely the best for understanding how to make good use of Python. Alex Martelli is profoundly knowledgable about Python, which is also evident from the Python Cookbook.

It's an excellent reference, it covers more areas than the other books I've read and in the Network and Web Programming part it compares different frameworks for writing Internet applications. It was from this parts recommendation that I started to use twisted that has turned out to be really great for making advanced server and client applications.

Beginners should not start with this book, but rather Learning Python 1st edition (the 2nd ed. is a bit longish and explains too much for beginners) or even better: Quick Python. However, both of these are a bit out of date.

12/23/2003

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Python in a Nutshell Review

By Danny Yee

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Python in a Nutshell:

A great book! I've written a full review.

8/5/2003

(0 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Python in a Nutshell Review

By Mike

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Python in a Nutshell:

Worst Python book by ORA since Learning Python. Why can't some publisher find a good writer that knows Python. Obviously, ORA can't. I was really looking forward to the release of this book and have been very disappointed. I'm only on Chapter 5, but am dusting off my Python 2.1 Bible and giving it another chance. The quality of books from ORA seem to be declining rapidly. Hopefully, this will be changed.

5/26/2003

3.0

Python in a Nutshell Review

By kc

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Python in a Nutshell:

This is a great book, or will be in the corrected printing. The errata page shows that there is on average one error per twenty-five pages. And I'm generously counting the index in the page count. This is far too many errors for such an important volume. ORA should have invested the resources and time to do better. This community will wait for -- and reward -- quality.

5/3/2003

5.0

Python in a Nutshell Review

By Istvan

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Python in a Nutshell:

My search for the ultimate Python bookis over.

Having a good programming background I needed a comprehensive but short book that talks about everyting I need and nothing I don't. Python in Nutshell was the real deal.

4/1/2003

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Python in a Nutshell Review

By Bernhard Straub

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Python in a Nutshell:

Being a ObjectiveC developer of yore, I had changed sides a long time ago to become a pure user and earn a living as a banker. After nearly ten years of abstinence I was recently introduced to Python by a student working at our office. Happy to recognize many of the concepts of ObjectiveC I decided to learn Python for pure fun. I found the online documentation not as helpful as proclaimed on python.org, but I got into Python with the help of 'Learning Python' by Mark Lutz and then got on with 'Programming Python' by Mark Lutz.

What I was missing dearly, however, was a concise but comprehensive reference book. In 'Python in a Nutshell' I have found what I had been looking for and more. Aimed at Python programmers with some prior knowledge of Python, it is not exactly a starting point for beginners, but it is a truly excellent guide to programmers conversant with other programming languages. The book is well organized and clearly arranged with a good index. It offers all the syntactic and morphologic specifications required for application development, accompanied by well written code samples. The coverage of Tkinter is brief (I am still looking for a thorough coverage of that topic), but sufficient for a reference book. In short, I am happy with Alex Martelli's work - it is sitting next to my keyboard all the time !

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Getting Started with Python

Chapter 1 Introduction to Python

Chapter 2 Installation

Chapter 3 The Python Interpreter

Core Python Language and Built-ins

Chapter 4 The Python Language

Chapter 5 Object-Oriented Python

Chapter 6 Exceptions

Chapter 7 Modules

Chapter 8 Core Built-ins

Chapter 9 Strings and Regular Expressions

Python Library and Extension Modules

Chapter 10 File and Text Operations

Chapter 11 Persistence and Databases

Chapter 12 Time Operations

Chapter 13 Controlling Execution

Chapter 14 Threads and Processes

Chapter 15 Numeric Processing

Chapter 16 Tkinter GUIs

Chapter 17 Testing, Debugging, and Optimizing

Network and Web Programming

Chapter 18 Client-Side Network Protocol Modules

Chapter 19 Sockets and Server-Side Network Protocol Modules

Chapter 20 CGI Scripting and Alternatives

Chapter 21 MIME and Network Encodings

Chapter 22 Structured Text: HTML

Chapter 23 Structured Text: XML

Extending and Embedding

Chapter 24 Extending and Embedding Classic Python

Chapter 25 Extending and Embedding Jython

Chapter 26 Distributing Extensions and Programs

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